Software:CyberStorm 2: Corporate Wars

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CyberStorm 2: Corporate Wars
Developer(s)Dynamix
Publisher(s)Sierra On-Line
Producer(s)Neil Haldar
Designer(s)Graeme Bayless
Programmer(s)Stephen Cordon
Artist(s)Mary Ann Fernandes
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)Turn-based tactics, Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

CyberStorm 2: Corporate Wars is a turn-based and real-time strategy game developed by Dynamix and released in 1998 as a sequel to MissionForce. It was published by Sierra On-Line.

Plot

CyberStorm 2 takes place long after the events of the first game, with the Cybrids no longer representing a major threat.

A jumpgate has been discovered in the Typheous system, and eight Earth corporations want to control it. Each of them therefore starts up a branch in the system, and begin to battle it out with the latest in military technology.

Gameplay

The game is played from a top-down isometric view-perspective. In some respects it is similar to MissionForce, using many of the same graphical assets, although several changes to the gameplay has been made.

There are two modes of play: turn-based and real-time. The player begins by choosing which corporation they want to work for, each of which has their own strengths and weaknesses in different areas, such as finances, engineering and bioengineering as well as military capability.

The player progresses through a selection of random missions, with special missions becoming available from time to time. These are written scenarios and tend to be quite profitable. The eventual goal is to take over the entire system by defeating all rival companies.

Corporate mechanics

HERC Base in CyberStorm 2

There are other changes to the game mechanics as well: the player is now responsible for maintaining almost everything, from research allocation (needed to develop new weapons and other technologies), to base construction and defenses. Essentially, the player is in charge of a subsidiary of the parent corporation.

The player must secure all income for the base by setting up mines, either by finding unclaimed mining areas or destroying mining operations of rival corporations. Although the player can earn money on mission rewards, steady income only comes from the number of mines that the player can keep up.

Only steady income can be allocated to research. The player determines how fast the technology levels of weapons, armor, shielding, life support, sensors, etc. will progress by allocating funds to the various sections of research and the technology level of their command building in the base.

The player must also maintain the base. Options include improving the technology levels of the buildings, which make them harder to destroy and give them improved capabilities (command center controls research ability, vehicle bay technology level limits the types of units that can be built, launch pad limits the number of units that can be sent off world, turrets' technology level controls their firepower).

Combat

Combat in CyberStorm 2

The player may command only four to eight units on the battlefield at a time (the number depending upon which corporation they are aligned with). The player's units are dropped onto the battlefield to fight either rival corporations or the occasional Cybrid group. The player has many choices of units for their force, including:

  • "HERCs" (Humaniform-Emulation Roboticized Combat Unit with Leg-Articulated Navigation): these are the walking giant robots of the game. HERCs move somewhat slower than other units but are able to jump up and down terrain levels. HERCs always turn to face their target. Most of the HERCs from the first game are available, as well as several new models.
  • Tanks: Ground-based tanks have a turret which rotates and tracks the enemy. This is a substantial difference from the other units, since ground tanks need not turn their bodies to fire at their target. Shield focus still moves with the body, not the turret.
  • Grav Tanks: Gravitiational drive tanks hover, are very fast, and are not limited by terrain. However, the armament, armor, and shielding of the grav tank tends to be far inferior to the ground tank or the herc. Grav tanks have no turret, and always turn to face their target.

Gameplay involves destroying buildings and/or enemy units. Buildings (including turrets) are unshielded, but can have very heavy and effective armor. Enemy units have shields and armor to defend them. Typically, the player must knock down one of the eight shield facings to create a hole using weapons that are effective against shields, then use weapons that are effective against armor to finish off the unit. Alternatively, some weapons can pass through shields, either partially or completely, to damage the armor underneath.

CyberStorm 2 mapping is based upon a grid system rather than the hexagonal one used in the first game. This gives the units eight directions of facing (four box sides, plus four corners), and shields are now octagonal in shape to work with the new map layout.

Development

The game went gold on April 28, 1998.[2]

Reviews

  • The Duelist #34[3]

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases". June 4, 1998. http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_06/04_release/index.html. 
  2. ↑ Mullen, Micheal (April 28, 1998). "CyberStorm 2 Goes Gold". Archived from the original on October 3, 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/19991003052811/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_04/28_cyber/index.html. Retrieved April 24, 2022. 
  3. ↑ "The Duelist # 34". February 1999. https://archive.org/details/the-duelist-34/page/n91/mode/2up. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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